Jet Lag and the International Traveler

What is Jet Lag?
What causes jet lag?
What should I do to fight jet lag?
Why does my friend have no problem with jet lag while I am doomed to suffer?
Further Reading

What is Jet Lag?

Jet lag is the disorientation a traveler feels after having crossed time zones. Remember, a long north-south airplane flight will leave the passenger feeling tired, but not jet lagged, as no time zone boundaries were crossed. The east-west passenger will experience travel fatigue plus jet lag.

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What causes jet lag?

Understanding the components of jet lag is half the battle in fighting it. Consider, the four ways you have to answer the simple question "What Time Is It?":

• The clock on the wall.
• The position of the sun in the sky.
• Observing people around you and your environment.
• Your own built-in 24 hour clock.

The clock on the wall is always set to local time. You should adjust your wristwatch to local time.

The sun is always on local time.

Your environment is a powerful clue to local time. Look around and see what people are doing. 

Your built-in 24 clock is called your circadian clock, from the Latin circa dia, or "approximately a day". When you are jet lagged, your circadian clock is out of whack with the other indicators of local time. You might feel drowsy during the day, but wide awake at night. This feeling of dislocation can spoil a vacation and interfere with business decision making ability. 

Here's a travel tip: When you get to your hotel, check to see if there is an alarm clock near your bed. If so, check to see if it is set for the correct, local time and then check to see if the previous occupant of the room left the alarm set. You don't want to be awakened in the middle of the night because someone else had to get to the airport early. Our thanks to Larry, a seasoned commercial pilot, for this important tip.

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What should I do to fight jet lag?

Set your wristwatch to local time while you are still on the airplane and try to "think" in your destination time. If it is night at your destination, try to feel sleepy. If it is day at your destination, try to feel awake. Leaving your wristwatch on home time guarantees your adjustment to the new time will take longer, as you constantly look at your watch to validate your circadian clock.

If you must keep track of home time for, perhaps, business purposes, consider getting a dual-time wristwatch which forces you to press a button to see your home time. Refer to home time only when necessary, but check local time often.

Drink lots of water and other fluids, such as fruit juice, on the airplane. Avoid alcohol, however, if a small alcoholic beverage will help you relax and get to sleep on the plane, go ahead. It is more important to sleep on the plane than to strictly avoid alcohol.

Upon arrival at your destination, do you best to follow local time. Force yourself to stay awake until your normal bedtime, but make it an early night. If you absolutely must get some rest, take a short nap with the hotel curtains open to the sunlight. Don't darken the room, put on your PJ's and get under the sheets. Just a short nap will take the edge off your fatigue and leave you ready to go to bed for real when it is bedtime.

Use sunlight as a drug. Sunlight is a powerful indication of local time. Become hyper-aware of the sun's position in the sky as you try to be hyper-unaware of your own fouled-up circadian clock. If you feel sleepy during the day, go outside and drink in the sunshine.

Caffeine is a useful drug to help jolt your circadian clock. When do you usually drink coffee at home? Force yourself to drink coffee at similar times of the day, local time.  If you don't drink caffeinated beverages, use fruit juice or milk to psychologically jolt your brain to local time.

Follow your regular meal schedule in local time. If you usually have a sandwich and a soda for lunch, then have a sandwich and a soda at lunch time, local time. You may not feel much like eating but force yourself to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner at appropriate local times.

Mind games and self-delusion are powerful tools in fighting jet lag.

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Why does my friend have no problem with jet lag while I am doomed to suffer?

Some lucky people have little or no problems with jet lag as they have the inborn ability to easily reset their circadian clocks. Others have a terrible time, requiring as much as a day for every time zone. Do not be surprised if someone else's jet lag recovery experience is different from your own. Following the procedures above will accelerate anyone's recovery.

Further Reading

Overcoming Jet Lag is our favorite book on this important subject. The authors recommend a natural, no-drug approach to recovery from jet lag. Anyone taking a trip that crosses time zones is very well advised to read this book cover-to-cover and follow their advice. Clicking on the hyperlink will take you to Amazon.com.

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05/23/2005